Letters to the Editor - March 28, 2013

Published: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Shambles at shelter

A Pender County deputy was arrested for drunken driving in his patrol car on duty. He was playing hooky from his job as a school resource officer.

Now Pender County Animal Shelter is shown to be a shameful place. Everybody there should be fired and start over with decent, humane people who will care for the animals. I hope Pat Sholar from state agriculture and local authorities will get this straightened out. Thanks go to the people who have spoken out about this. Keep it up!

Maybe somewhere in Pender County, there are a few compassionate and caring people who will have mercy and help those pitiful dogs and cats who are homeless through no fault of their own.

Faye Casteen, Wilmington

Editor’s note: The Pender County shelter has since passed its most recent inspection.

Doctors face difficulties

National Doctors Day is Saturday, and that’s a great time to remember the value of physicians throughout the Wilmington area. Doctors provide many valuable services, and do all they can to help patients get better.

But many of those doctors face challenges that need to be addressed soon. For rural doctors, an individual practice can be almost impossible, due to the increased paperwork, decreased reimbursement, and surge in workload. A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services illustrates that 20 percent of the American population live in a rural area, but only 10 percent of physicians work there.

That creates difficult decisions for those physicians. They typically see more patients than urban doctors, but often can’t spend as much time per patient. With reduced staff, they must do much of the mounting paperwork themselves and face long hours. Add in the declining reimbursement rates for insurances such as Medicare, and the problem will continue to grow.

In North Carolina, rural doctors can receive some loan forgiveness, or even a service bonus of $50,000 for a 4-year commitment in high needs areas.

More needs to be done. Rural doctors need higher reimbursement rates from insurance companies, and other measures are also on the table.

Tony Zizzamia, Wilmington

Circus cruel to animals

… Because circuses are constantly traveling from city to city, animals’ access to basic necessities such as food, water and veterinary care is often inadequate. The animals, most of whom are quite large and naturally active, are forced to spend most of their lives in the cramped, barren cages and trailers used to transport them, where they have only enough room to stand and turn around. …

As more people become aware of the cruelty involved in forcing animals to perform, circuses that use animals are finding fewer places to set up their big tops – so why are they still being allowed to come to Wilmington?

The use of animals in entertainment has already been restricted or banned in cities across the U.S. and in countries worldwide. For instance, Bolivia, Greece, Israel, Peru, and Sweden have banned the use of all animals in circuses, and Britain has prohibited the use of wild animals in traveling circuses.

It’s the 21st century. Let’s find compassion and break the cycle. Don’t go, don’t take your child to the circus, and let’s make these events a thing of the past in our town and everywhere in the U.S.

<p class="bold allcaps">Shambles at shelter</p>
<p>A Pender County deputy was arrested for drunken driving in his patrol car on duty. He was playing hooky from his job as a school resource officer. </p><p>Now Pender County Animal Shelter is shown to be a shameful place. Everybody there should be fired and start over with decent, humane people who will care for the animals. I hope Pat Sholar from state agriculture and local authorities will get this straightened out. Thanks go to the people who have spoken out about this. Keep it up! </p><p>Maybe somewhere in Pender County, there are a few compassionate and caring people who will have mercy and help those pitiful dogs and cats who are homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p>Faye Casteen, Wilmington</p><p>Editor's note: The Pender County shelter has since passed its most recent inspection.</p><h3>Doctors face difficulties</h3>
<p>National Doctors Day is Saturday, and that's a great time to remember the value of physicians throughout the Wilmington area. Doctors provide many valuable services, and do all they can to help patients get better. </p><p>But many of those doctors face challenges that need to be addressed soon. For rural doctors, an individual practice can be almost impossible, due to the increased paperwork, decreased reimbursement, and surge in workload. A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services illustrates that 20 percent of the American population live in a rural area, but only 10 percent of physicians work there. </p><p>That creates difficult decisions for those physicians. They typically see more patients than urban doctors, but often can't spend as much time per patient. With reduced staff, they must do much of the mounting paperwork themselves and face long hours. Add in the declining reimbursement rates for insurances such as Medicare, and the problem will continue to grow. </p><p>In North Carolina, rural doctors can receive some loan forgiveness, or even a service bonus of $50,000 for a 4-year commitment in high needs areas.</p><p>More needs to be done. Rural doctors need higher reimbursement rates from insurance companies, and other measures are also on the table.</p><p>Tony Zizzamia, Wilmington</p><h3>Circus cruel to animals</h3>
<p>… Because circuses are constantly traveling from city to city, animals' access to basic necessities such as food, water and veterinary care is often inadequate. The animals, most of whom are quite large and naturally active, are forced to spend most of their lives in the cramped, barren cages and trailers used to transport them, where they have only enough room to stand and turn around. …</p><p>As more people become aware of the cruelty involved in forcing animals to perform, circuses that use animals are finding fewer places to set up their big tops – so why are they still being allowed to come to Wilmington? </p><p>The use of animals in entertainment has already been restricted or banned in cities across the U.S. and in countries worldwide. For instance, Bolivia, Greece, Israel, Peru, and Sweden have banned the use of all animals in circuses, and Britain has prohibited the use of wild animals in traveling circuses.</p><p>It's the 21st century. Let's find compassion and break the cycle. Don't go, don't take your child to the circus, and let's make these events a thing of the past in our town and everywhere in the U.S.</p><p>Susan Savia, Winnabow</p>